The Best of Student TV

It’s a fact that students watch a lot of TV. It’s one of the clichés of student life that is actually true (well okay, most of them are true). What better way to procrastinate than to find something trashy and studenty on TV to distract from those pesky deadlines. With that in mind, here are 5 shows every student should have come across:

University Challenge

On the grand scale of TV, this is firmly on the ‘classy and respectable’ end. At long last, that module you took on Ancient Sumerian pottery manufacturing that seemed like a fun idea at the time may actually come in handy. Allow yourself a pat on the back for even three correct answers, or suffer the withering stare that Paxman saves for wrong answers.

See, we are on it sometimes…

Pointless

If University Challenge is all about the things you probably should know, then Pointless will reward your hours of watching obscure Denzel Washington films and reading about every past Wimbledon winner. It’s a show that celebrates the kind of useless trivia you pick up from the internet, and it won’t make you feel quite as dumb as University Challenge.

Man v. Food

When you watch Man v. Food, just stop for a second and ask yourself this question: Why? Adam Richman makes for a pretty amiable host, but the sight of him cramming every inch of a burger the size of a hubcap into his mouth while crowds cheer is a weird experience. Perhaps it’s the memory of low funds and empty fridges that makes it a student favourite.

Just…why? And can we have some?

Storage Hunters

Another case of a concept so bizarre that it’s kind of impressive. People bid for containers full of junk… and that’s it. Or it would be, if the whole thing didn’t seem like the most staged ‘reality’ show on TV. Every container is filled with such implausibly incredible stuff that it’s only a matter of time before someone uncovers the Holy Grail. What’s there to say? Students love their TV shows to be weird.

A Designated House Soap Opera

Whether Eastenders or Neighbours is your thing, the good news is that you don’t even need to really watch it. Catching 30 second snatches every two weeks is enough to keep you up to date with months of unbelievable twists and turns. Alternatively, just assume that every character is planning to fight/kill/sleep with every other character, and you’ll be up to speed in no time.